Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Senhor Rooster's experience


Vancouver

Recommended Posts

Tried out Senhor Rooster's (3885 Rupert) last night for a change of pace. It is a small casual neighbourhood place that appears to have been recently renovated inside with new floor tiles, new paint, and newish tables and chairs. The majority of customers were speaking Portuguese.

Had the flame grilled half-cornish game hen (quite the steal at $9.95) which was nicely spiced (I believe it was marinated in a chili mixture) and served with 3 sauces in bottles which had a level of complexity above what I was expecting. They were a piri-piri sauce (Brazilian pepper), a mango pepper, and a blueberry vinegar. The sauces had multiple layers which was the pleasant surprise. The game hen itself was juicy and tender on the inside with a crispy skin. It was served with a side of fries and a small salad. Again the dressing on the salad was more complex than it appeared. They do their sauces and dressings quite well there. Dessert choices included a mango mousse, chocolate mousse, and creme caramel. We tried the mango mousse and creme caramel. The mango mousse wasn't really a mousse - it was closer to a pudding. But it had a superb mango flavour. The creme caramel was slightly too set, but the caramel sauce had an excellent taste - slightly burned in the right way. Again, top notch saucing.

The service was extremely friendly, seemed to know everyone that came in, and made us feel quite welcome.

Will definitely return to dig into some additional sauce treats!

Cheers!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Went back for a 2nd round of that flame grilled cornish game hen. They had 2 of the same sauces available (the piri piri and the mango pepper), and this time the 3rd sauce was a jalepeno based sauce that was phenomenal. It had just the right amount of heat and a slight smoky flavour that highlighted the crispy skin of the game hen.

We also ordered a prego (steak sandwich) which came on a crunchy portuguese bun and had been nicely marinated in a chili rub. It was good, but the game hen is still my favourite!

For a small neighbourhood place I've been really pleasantly surprised both times with the experience.

Cheers!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Went back again, and this time was by far the best experience yet. They had a special rack of lamb not on the menu. We ordered it, and I must say it was the best lamb dish I've had in Vancouver. Once again they did not disappoint with their sauces. The lamb had a fennel based sauce that perfectly complemented the New Zealand lamb. The lamb was perfectly cooked and amazingly tender. It was complemented with a salad and frites. While waiting for the main course they provided a sample of their shrimp cakes as an amuse. These are crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside, deep fried croquette-like bundles of joy. The chef surprised us with a mango sabayon with orange liqour (not on the menu). The sabayon was perfectly done - no grainy texture at all (which all too frequently appears when I've had it elsewhere) - with a nice orange liquor overtone. It was served in a large martini glass.

It was a wonderfully pleasant meal. The sauces and meats are the quality you would find in a a fine dining establishment - not in a casual neighbourhood place. But the pricing was amazingly low. The grand total for the entire meal was $30 for 2 people. What a steal! i think this may be one of the best casual dining establishments in Vancouver. The chef mentioned that he used to work at Il Giardino - which started to make everything make sense.

Cheers!

Edited by Vancouver (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

sounds great.. thanks for letting us know, i think we might head there tonight as it is somewhat in our neighborhood and it is always so hard to find places in the hastings/sunrise area esp. when Da Francesco (sp?) is gone now.

DANIELLE

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."

-Virginia Woolf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've eaten at senhor rooster twice and the cornish hen was great both times. The jalapeno sauce though is fantastic, and I order fries just to sop it up with.

Wait times for food can be a little long though. Over half an hour both times I recall and the place wasn't overly busy. I think it's just the grilling itself that eats up that time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  What a steal!  i think this may be one of the best casual dining establishments in Vancouver.  The chef mentioned that he used to work at Il Giardino - which started to make everything make sense. 

Cheers!

The chef sounds like Daniel, a lovely Portugese guy I knew some years ago, and if it is he, the food is guaranteed to be good! One of the surest hands with seasoning I've seen in a kitchen, with a masterfully masculine approach to everything he prepared, Daniel's talents were not fully realised when we shared kitchen space. He made a simple garlic, cilantro and egg (drop-style) soup that blew me away then, and makes me want to return to his kitchen, soon!

Thanks for the posting on this one, vancouver, and for re-kindling the memories!

John

Edited by jtcookie (log)

"Venite omnes qui stomacho laboratis et ego restaurabo vos"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, his name is Daniel!  It must be him!  What did he do at Il Giardino exactly? 

Cheers!

He was chef tournant there I believe, turning his hand to any section as required, as well as taking over in lieu of the chef.

Mrs. Cookie remembers like yesterday how strong the "perfume" of his soup was!

John

"Venite omnes qui stomacho laboratis et ego restaurabo vos"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have heard really good things about the food here from some of my friends. It's not the greatest 'hood but not bad. I also heard that he will make things that are not on the menu if you call ahead and a friend of mine says that the Paella there is fabulous (you have to call ahead for it I think) which is great as someone else told me they were really disappointed in the Paella at Senova. Having said that, isn't Paella a Spanish dish?

The good thing about Senova is that even if it's not great (and I don't know that as I haven't been) it will bring attention to the other Portuguese places in Vancouver.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We visited again tonight and had another lovely meal. Appetizer was a BBQ mushroom dish where he BBQed several types of mushrooms and then presented them in a garlic corriander sauce which was so good we just had to clean up every last drop of it with the Portuguese rolls. Our 2 mains were both specials of the day. The first was basa basa which is a white fish with a lovely texture. It was lightly coated in flour and pan fried. The fish was perfectly done, with the outside being slightly crispy and the inside perfectly moist. Delicious. The second main was NY strip with peppercorn sauce. Once again I was impressed with the saucing. He does a fabulous job with sauces. Dessert was a surprise from off the menu again. It was a port soaked pear that was baked with coconut and presented in a beautiful pattern with the base of the pear in the centre filled with coconut and topped with vanilla ice cream and a cinnamon dusted meringue, and surrounded by slices from the top half of the pear. There was a brandy sauce to round out the flavours of the dish.

Overall once again a fabulous meal. We shall return again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

We visited again and had another wonderful experience. The meal started off with a linguica chourico which was presented perched over flaming liquor. The flames served to carmelize the edges of the sausage. The sausage itself had a nice seasoning which included garlic, sweet paprika, and piri-piri. The sweetness and spiceness blended perfectly. The next course was a braised lamb shank served over saffron risotto. The lamb was perfectly done, and fell off the bone with gentle prodding. The sauce, which was served on the side, was a lovely combination of fennel and lamb which highlighted the natural flavours of the dish. The main course was a salt-encrusted game hen. This was brought tableside to be served. He broke the salt-crust with a meat tenderizer and peeled away the crust revealing a cabbage layer that was encasing the game hen. The game hen had been deboned and stuffed with risotto, raisins, and mandarin orange. He sliced the hen and served it with a mandarin orange liquor based sauce which tied everything together nicely. The game hen was incredibly tender and had absorbed the various flavours beautifully. Dessert was a chocolate mouse, which was dusted with coconut flakes. Overall another fabulous meal.

We shall certainly return!

Cheers!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been meaning to try this place out since I drive by there quite frequently on my way home from work. But lately, there has been some nights where he was not open. Does anyone know what's going on?

Alex

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tried Senhor Rooster for dinner last night and I really enjoyed. Casual space, friendly service - producing solidy delicous food at great prices.

Starters - Shrimp in Piri Piri sauce, BBQ Mushrooms

gallery_25348_1380_1615.jpggallery_25348_1380_1316.jpg

Pork and Clams, Chicken and Pork Sandwiches

gallery_25348_1380_3986.jpggallery_25348_1380_3866.jpg

Pork in Mushroom Sauce

gallery_25348_1380_14501.jpg

Everything was delicious. The piri piri sauce was spectacular - you could serve it over a hubcap and I would eat it. The sandwiches came with a selection of sauces in squeeze bottles - and they were all very good. The jalapeno in particular had a fresh brightness that was unexpected and delicous.

The mushrooms were mostly button - but the saucing was very good. In particular - the BBQ mushroom had an almost asian taste - with savoury and acid notes.

They did not have a couple things on the menu that I wanted to try - Cod Cakes and the only dessert was a Mango Mousse but my friends were in the mood for chocolate - we went to Diner for the souffles.

A great place that I will go back to again - I hope that they make a go of things.

PS - noted that you can take out the cornish game hens for $13 for a whole chicken.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the lovely pictures. I'm hungry! :smile:

The jalapeno in particular had a fresh brightness that was unexpected and delicous.

Yes, the jalapeño sauce is my favourite one of his. Very addictive!

The mushrooms were mostly button - but the saucing was very good.  In particular - the BBQ mushroom had an almost asian taste - with savoury and acid notes.

I know exactly what you mean about the Asian taste on this sauce. It is similar to that sauce that is sometimes used in Chinese cooking with those very thin black fungus whose name is slipping my mind. The one that sometimes has tofu stir fried in as well. Do you know the one?

The one time we had the BBQ musrooms it had a nice variety other than button mushrooms - I guess whatever is available that night. He also put a strong corriander flavour into the sauce. Was that the same one?

Cheers!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I had been dying to try this place for weeks and finally managed to coerce mamacat into going. Oh, was it ever worth it! What a treasure of a restaurant! Incredibly delicious food for an insanely low price, and wonderful, warm service.

Chef began by bringing out some Portugese rolls and the array of sauces. Previous Senhor Rooster clients will be delighted to know that you don't just get 3 now... we were served SIX! Each one came in a small labelled jar with a little spoon to dole them out. We tried:

- Piri-piri

- Extra Hot

- BBQ

- Jalapeno

- Mango Ginger

- Tangi fruit

Vancouver mentioned upthread how simple yet complex and nuanced in their flavours these sauces are. They really must be tried to be understood - each one is a wonderful surprise. The latter two were incredible, with a piquant sweetness that I couldn't get enough of. I cannot do these things justice with words, beyond stating that there are hot sauces, and then there are these.

After sampling each sauce many times over on bread, Chef brought by a little amuse of the mushrooms in the BBQ sauce (which can be seen in Cancuklehead's photos). Outstanding! We only had a little scrap of bread left by that point but mamacat and I seized upon it and coaxed every last molecule of sauce off that plate.

For mains, we both tried specials of the day. I went for lamb shanks in a sauce whose official description escapes me, but which wasdark, rich, and had some mustard seed in it. Mamacat had the pork loin in the BBQ sauce. Both of these were ridiculously good - we shared them back and forth and would be hard pressed to declare a favourite. The meat was grilled to proverbial perfection, the sauces were expertly flavoured and bold, yet rich and warm. The sides of potato would be enough to turn even the most lacanophobic of kids into an avowed tuber-lover.

All in all, it was a wonderful culinary experience. Honest, unpretentious food served by a warm host in a friendly atmosphere, and affordable. Chef told us about all the different dishes he had been serving to folks when he saw how into our meals we were, and he even took us over to show off one of the dishes he had made for a customer - a grilled chicken breast stuffed with scallops served with mashed potatoes piped into a rooster shape. I needs me one dem fancy camera phones.

Go, eat, enjoy. We will certainly be heading back again, and again, and again.

PS-Cancuklehead is right - the sauces are so good you could eat 'em off a hubcap and still be in heaven.

Edited by snacky_cat (log)

Jenn

"She's not that kind of a girl, Booger!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ditto everything Snacky said....this was one memorable meal! If your Christmas budget allows just one meal out, go to Senhor Roosters. You will be amazed by the food and charmed by the Chef. It's only been 2 hours since we left and I'm already thinking about our next visit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everything was delicious.  The piri piri sauce was spectacular - you could serve it over a hubcap and I would eat it.  .

That's a great line! We visited SR a couple of weeks ago, and can certainly endorse all the praise and delight expressed upthread. You should probably call ahead if you want one of the dishes mentioned above, as the specials is a hit-and-miss affair. It really is what Daniel has around at the time. I had asked for the garlic and cilantro soup, and we all (5) had a small bowl to begin. Nutritious, and delicious, this soup should be available on prescription, as it's guaranteed to keep colds away and cure the seasonal blahs. Daniel's maitre d' is a lovely host, recognizable to some as the former owner of the Savoury, a Deep Cove fixture for 25 years.

We asked to be fed, upon which a succession of dishes came and went, emptied, at a very leisurely pace. Standouts? The soup, the clams, and the potatoes, a rack of lamb, and the flambee item to finish. (you'll have to ask for that one!)

Daniel's food is all about flavours, and, good news canucklehead, he will sell his sauces to go! Assertive, definitive and bold, yet embracing a subtlety most culinists can can only dream of, my favourite was the barbeque version, though I thought that all were great. It's good to hear that he has labelled the squeeze bottles however, as we got a couple of them mixed up!

This little room is a work in progress; I'm sure we will see improvements added as time goes on and patronage increases.

Patatas Bravas rule!

John

Edited by jtcookie (log)

"Venite omnes qui stomacho laboratis et ego restaurabo vos"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...